Cat's Cradle
by Mister Melancholy
Summary: Sometimes, people unnecessarily complicate things. Kagehina


"Kenma!"

"Shouyou…" he mumbles softly, watching the energetic orange-haired boy skid towards him, bobbing up and down with just a bit too much vigor. Kenma looks slightly off to the side, not exactly sure what else to say and unable to act within any sort of social situation, and also, for some reason, feeling a bit of uneasiness boring into his back. He chooses to ignore the latter and takes a glance at Shouyou who is giving him one of his signature toothy smiles.

"Hey, I got a new video game"―at that, Kenma's ears perk up much like a curious cat's would and his face flushes with eagerness and anticipation―"and since it's a co-op game, I figured we can play together. You wanna?"

Kenma hurriedly shakes his head in a way that could only translate to something like "yes yes yes," and even though the mere thought of playing a new video game elates the (unintendedly) ombre-haired boy beyond belief, he still can't shake off the feeling of uneasiness he's been feeling for quite a while now. And so, in one quick motion, he turns his head around and locks eyes with intense dark blue ones before quickly returning his attention to Shouyou.

Ever since their first practice match with Karasuno's volleyball team, their main setter (the one whom Shouyou once said is "a little more intense") has been indiscreetly pestering Kenma with grumbled questions about mainly how Kenma does what he does. The pestering isn't too irritating, though the manner with which the much too-intense setter asks them freaks Kenma out. Lately, though, the questions have been becoming less frequent and replaced with burning glares. Kenma isn't exactly sure what to make of them, nor is he sure if he prefers the glares over more frequent questions, though just everything about Shouyou's setter makes Kenma want to run off out of fear.

Shouyou continues to babble on, a continuous string of slurred words ringing through his ears, until he abruptly stops and calls out for his black-haired friend. Er, at least Kenma thinks the two Karasuno teammates are friends. Maybe friends with a bit of rivalry.

Upon the mention of his name (Kageyama, was it?), Kenma notices how the other setter's lips faintly furl up into a struggled smile, though he eventually fights it off and forces a strained pout, complete with a wrinkled nose. He walks towards Shouyou with steady steps, stealing an irritated glance toward Kenma.

The situation suddenly became much more awkward, Kenma thinks inwardly to himself, wondering if it was the proper time to dash off.

"Oi, idiot," came the black-haired boy's deep voice as he presses the palm of his hand on top of Shouyou's orange curls. "What are you blabbering on about now? I heard you a mile away."

"Wh-what! Weren't you just a couple meters away? Besides, I have every reason to be 'blabbering' about this. It's a new video game!" Shouyou's eyes sparkled (and Kenma has to admit his did too) while Kageyama just gave them both a confused look. Shouyou continues, "We'll be going to my house to play it. It's only for two players, but you can come watch us if you want!"

Kenma gives Shouyou an exasperated look, not wanting any outside company with them, especially not the sort of company who inexplicably glares at him. Yet, the orange-haired middle blocker is oblivious to Kenma's looks of desperation and, in spite of the black-haired boy's awkward silence, ends up dragging both of them off to his house.

The walk to the Hinata household wasn't as quite as quiet as Kenma would have thought it would be. The two teammates practically bicker all throughout the walk, while Kenma is up to his own devices, listening to his playlist in order to drown out their rather aggravating arguments. He tries not to pay them any mind, though he offers the occasional glimpse to their "conversation," and sometimes he notices the black-haired guy holding on to Shouyou's gaze a little too much longer than Shouyou does with him, and sometimes he also sees the other setter just briefly showing a smile (albeit really creepy) before forcing a neutral expression.

It was a bit intriguing―the way the other setter seems to be fighting internally with himself. Kenma likens it to how a little schoolgirl acts toward a crush, though he isn't one to meddle in other people's affairs, so he leaves the thought with that.

At the Hinata household, a humble little house that feels cozy and strangely familiar, Kenma finds himself faced with a shrunken Shouyou who greets her brother with a huge hug, then does a complete change in attitude and glares at him and the other non-Hinata.

"Big brother, who's the tall one?" she asks with obvious signs of contempt.

Shouyou laughs wholeheartedly and pats both of his friends' backs ("ow," Kenma murmurs). "This is the guy who tosses for me! Kageyama! And I think you remember Kenma from before? Say hi, sis!"

Begrudgingly, mini Shouyou forces a greeting and runs off into another room before neither he nor the other setter have time to answer back. Shouyou laughs again, mumbling something about how his sister not being too fond of visitors, and then races off to his room, telling them both to follow him. Kenma carefully removes his shoes and walks after Shouyou, watching as the black-haired guy immediately dashes in the same direction. Kenma sighs, wondering if going to Shouyou's house with Kageyama in tow was a good idea, but the sweet sound of the new video game starting up distracts him from his muses, and he hurriedly catches up to the two, absentmindedly ignoring how a simple brush of Shouyou's hand on the setter's causes him to stumble.

* * *

For the tenth time in the past hour, Kenma inwardly revels in victorious triumph, a bit of satisfaction surging throughout his body as he sees Shouyou's body fall backward in defeat.

"Ack, Kenma, you're too good! I'm always behind, and I'm always dying! It makes me a little mad…" Shouyou says with feigned frustration, dramatically throwing his game controller in the air and making a pained noise when it lands on his face.

"You just suck, idiot," the black-haired boy mutters from behind them. He hasn't actually been talking all that much while he and Shouyou were playing their video game (or maybe Kenma was just a bit too absorbed into the gameplay to notice anything around him). The only statements that emitted from the other setter's mouth was the occasional rash insult, met with an almost automatic, equally rash reply from Shouyou.

With a jaded, purposely loud sigh, Shouyou looks at his visitors and offhandedly says, "I'm really tired right now… We can play again some other time. You guys wanna go?"

Shrugging, as if to say Kenma doesn't really care either way, the ombre-haired boy gets up from his seat and forces a small smile for Shouyou. "Thanks for letting me play… I'll be taking my leave now…"

Shouyou grins and plops on his bed, burying his face into his pillow as he waves his arm lazily. "Yeah, see ya!"

And as Kenma exits, he feels the black-haired boy's intense presence right next to him. He feels as if though the black-haired boy's leaving was partly due to obligation. The awkward implications of staying behind while another is leaving is just too much to handle, so Kenma understands the black-haired boy's decision in wanting to leave too and avoid an uncomfortable situation from happening. In that moment, even, he may have felt a connection with the other setter. Maybe.

Once outside the Hinata household, Kenma begins looking up his cousin's address on his phone. Fortunately for him, while the rest of the team are staying in a stuffy lodge, Kenma is fortunate enough to have family in the area. His cousin's house isn't too far, either, so Kenma will be able to have more time catching up on some of his old video games.

The ombre-haired boy puts his earbuds in and begins humming to the music, the soft piano sounds of his favorite video game soundtrack making excitement surge through his veins. Soon, he'll be able to play it, and now that he has come up with an amazing strategy, will now be able to defeat the final boss with only—

Ahem. Kenma turns around and finds himself face to face with grouchy pouts-a-lot once again. (Kenma isn't really much for nicknames, but the now-fading adrenaline in his veins got to the best of him.) He turns back around and walks a little faster, contemplating on whether or not to use the rest of his energy to run away.

He hears the black-haired boy making fake coughing noises behind him again, conveniently being in time with the soft keystrokes in Kenma's music. Kenma chooses to ignore them simply because he isn't sure what to say, and he has never actually said a word to the intense setter besides maybe the uncommon greeting (to mirror Shouyou's own greetings to his setter). Just being alone with Shouyou's scary friend is nerve-wracking for him. Holding a conversation with him would be an unfeasible and just unthinkable feat to accomplish. Sometimes, it's times like this where Kenma wishes his social skills weren't nonexistent, especially considering he assumes the other setter shares equally horrible social skills. Maybe then the walk wouldn't make him feel so uncomfortable.

The black-haired boy coughs again, a deliberate noise that was probably made in order to catch the ombre-haired boy's attention. It does the trick, of course, as did the previous coughs, but Kenma continues to ignore him, discreetly turning up the volume of his music, which relieves him of a fraction of the guilt he feels for not speaking up.

The two continue to walk toward the general direction of their household in mutual silence. Kenma wants to hum along with his music (right now, a really catchy song from his favorite roleplaying video game is playing) but feels embarrassed. Suddenly, he feels the intense setter's presence right next to him, making Kenma jolt in surprise.

"I…" he begins, trailing off all of a sudden. His head nods off to the side, as if he's hiding the obvious red glowing from his tanned skin. "Umm… can I ask you a couple things?"

Kenma is taken aback by how normal the black-haired boy sounds right now―very unlike the harsh sounds he hears whenever the intense setter talks to Shouyou. He takes in a deep sigh, then quietly mumbles, "Um, yeah…"

"They're not about volleyball," the other setter pipes in, his voice reminiscent of how an adult tries using a comforting tactic on a small child. Unfortunately for him, the statement only proves to make Kenma a bit more uncomfortable. As much as Kenma finds volleyball to be a bit too uninteresting for his taste, there was nothing else the two could possibly be able to talk about. Unless―unless!―the black-haired boy was moved by Kenma's expert video game playing skills and wants to learn more about it, which Kenma would actually (this is surprising himself, too) gladly ramble on about.

"Um, if it's about video games, then I have a lot of advice I can give you…" Kenma shyly offers, lowering his music to just a soft hum in order to converse with the other setter properly. The reaction on his face, though, is one Kenma wasn't expecting―unabashedly confused.

"Er, no." The black-haired boy looks away from Kenma as it looks as if he is mentally preparing himself to begin a sort of confession. Kenma finds his own cheeks growing hot from his presumptuous assumptions on the black-haired boy's questions and inadvertently raises the volume on his music once again. He sees the other boy's mouth move, though he doesn't actually hear anything and isn't well versed with mouth movements to know what the black-haired boy is talking about.

But it's the way that his cheeks turn a bright shade of pink that Kenma realizes that the last two lip movements―the double o-shaped formation―was more than likely him saying "Shouyou," and that for some reason he is asking Kenma for advice on Shouyou; and at that moment, Kenma realizes another thing, and though he always attempts not to meddle in other people's business, the fact is too obvious, even from someone who isn't as perceptive about his surroundings as Kenma: the setter of Karasuno has a crush on Shouyou Hinata.

With an intent to give the poor boy his attention, Kenma removes his earbuds and thinks of exactly what to say to the boy clearly too head over heels for the short middle blocker. "Um…" Kenma stuffs his hands in his pockets, forcing himself to speak a little bit louder than usual. "With Hinata, you just have to stay simple. He's a simple guy."

The black-haired boy's perplexed expression urges Kenma to give more of an explanation. "He isn't exactly the brightest person out there, so you have to be straightforward with him. If you want to be on a first name basis with him, just start calling him by his first name, and he'll do the same for you. If you want to hang out with him, then tell him you want to go somewhere, and he'll probably wanna go. If you want to date him, then just tell him you like him, and he'll be honest with you."

Now, the puzzled expression from him is quickly replaced with that of a flustered mess. His lips fluctuate between opening up to give a more than likely nasty retort then close to stop himself from saying anything mean. The blush powdered on his tan cheeks brighten at an exponential rate, becoming a bright red that Kenma would liken to the color of his own volleyball uniform. Watching the other setter makes Kenma awkward again, and he wonders if his words of advice were of any help, or if it made the intense boy's thoughts even more muddled than they previously were.

Seeing his cousin's house now just a block away, Kenma turns to the panicked boy and offers one last piece of advice. "Personally, I think you should just drop the insults and compliment him more. He'll appreciate it, I think. Um, bye!"

And with that, he darts off, missing how the other setter fumbles and almost trips.

* * *

The new headset fits perfectly on Kenma's head, so much so that he feels the sudden urge to quickly and quietly make a satisfied squeal out loud. With his headset, he'll be able to talk to Shouyou all the while playing video games instead of struggling to balance his cellphone between his shoulder blade and his ear. So far, just hearing a defeated yelp from Hinata proves the investment to be very worthwhile.

"I don't understand how you're so good at both volleyball and video games. You're really amazing, Kenma."

Kenma smiles softly, even though Shouyou isn't able to see it. Actually, he not being able to see it is better anyway. "Thanks, Shouyou..."

"Just telling you the truth." Silence, and then Hinata suddenly sounds serious and asks in a low voice. "Can I ask for some advice?"

At that moment, Kenma knows it has something to do with Karasuno's setter. He remembers earlier, when his team was practicing all day with Karasuno, that the oddball duo wasn't functioning as well as they used to in previous matches. Kenma had noticed that Karasuno's setter was holding back every kind of nasty insult trying to pry themselves open from his mouth and instead replaced them with (really creepy) "compliments," taking Shouyou aback and knocking them off their usual rhythm. He had noticed how the other setter seemed to focus solely on Shouyou at that point, causing them to be blocked more than usual, and Shouyou's sweaty, flushed, and frustrated face suddenly started glaring at his setter. It was a weird role reversal, and it created an unbearable blanket of high tension between both teams.

Shouyou continues on without even waiting for Kenma's response and says in a scarily low voice, "I think Kageyama is up to something. He was only tossing to me today, and I didn't mind it at first, but I kept getting blocked, and the rest of the team was getting pissed. He even ignored Asahi's call for a toss. He also tried calling me by my first name after that, but the way he said it really creeped me out! His face is so scary! And then he asked me if I wanted to go to my house together. Why would he invite himself to my house? I don't understand what's going on..."

After hearing all that, Kenma feels as if though he is entirely at fault for all of the other setter's weird behavior today, and even more of the newfound strained relationship between him and Shouyou. "Um..." Kenma tries hard to think of something to say but is at a loss for words, and even though that happens to him a lot, for once he feels frustrated not being able to help a good friend like Shouyou.

"I don't really get what's up with him... I tried talking to him, but he was just being really creepy. What do you think I should do?"

Kenma sucks in some air. (Since Shouyou is distracted, he ends up having to fend off a group of enemies virtually all by himself.) "Do you like him?"

"Of course I do!" He says it in a tone that screams of pride. "He makes me feel invincible on the court, and we always hang out off the court too. I'd even say he's my best friend—even if we do insult each other a lot!" Shouyou takes in a huff of air as well, crossing his arms over his chest like a small kid. "The way he was acting today... I just wasn't used to it. I don't really know if it's a sign for something between us or what. I just want to know why he isn't acting like himself. It's worrying me..."

"I think... he's trying to act more like a friend." (While he waits for Shouyou to fish for a response, Kenma uses this distraction as a chance to headshot Shouyou's player character, even despite them being on the same team, as punishment for not helping him out earlier.)  
"But we're already best friends! What more could he want from me?"  
"To be even closer?" Kenma's words don't even sound very confident at all, yet from hearing Shouyou's relieved yelp (mixed in with the slight frustration of having his player character die thanks to Kenma's attacks), Kenma is convinced that his words have helped the energetic boy just a tiny bit and that it makes Shouyou return his attention to the video game at hand.  
"Okay, okay, I'm gonna talk to him tomorrow and see what's up. For now, I won't be losing to you from this point onward!"

* * *

Lazy Saturday afternoons are one of Kenma's favorite moments of the week. Naturally, he just lays his chest on his bed and concentrates on playing some handheld video games, the orchestral music playing in the background just a gentle hum against his rapid button presses. His phone has been buzzing beside him for an hour straight now, though he tries to pay it no mind, thinking that it was probably just Kuroo wanting to eat lunch with him, or maybe it was Lev wanting to have an online match (though Kenma always refuses his requests mainly because Lev is a bit of a cheater). However, as Kenma sees red flash on his screen, indicating his umpteenth failure today, he sighs and sets aside his video game in lieu of his phone, scrolling through a huge list of text messages. As he thought, about three were from Kuroo wanting to get lunch at the new café that had opened up around the area, and there was one from Lev who apparently saw Kenma online and wanted to play a match against him, promising that he'll be "taking it easy" on his teammate.

The rest of the text messages came solely from Shouyou, who not only sent way too many messages all at once, but seemed to write whole essays in immediate succession. Kenma notes this is very unlike Shouyou, who usually opts for one-word texts and the occasional fragmented sentence.

Most of his text messages were at least a block paragraph in length, with a distressed-looking emoticon at the end of each one. Skimming through all of them, Kenma gets the general gist of the situation: Shouyou had talked to his setter to settle things and clear up the confusion he has, but in that talk, Shouyou realizes that he feels his "heartbeat racing in the same way it does whenever he hits one of Kageyama's tosses," except he isn't spiking one of his tosses, and it's weird to be feeling it at a moment of casual conversation.

His fingers hover above the virtual keyboard as he thinks of a response. The fact that both Shouyou and his newfound crush (at least, Kenma would assume the aforementioned feeling Shouyou described was a good indication of liking the black-haired boy beyond the boundaries of friendship) don't just tell each other confuses Kenma to no end. Even though his social skills are subpar, he would like to think that two loud and talkative people like the oddball duo would have no problem just confessing their feelings for each other.

He taps his fingers on his phone screen, simply typing out "tell him how you feel && good luck" in response. Then, as an afterthought, he sends another text saying "remember kiss," then shoves his phone under his pillow to concentrate on finally beating the final boss. Maybe the final boss is just as simple as how the oddball couple thinks, too. "Keep it stupid simple" is always the way to go, after all.

* * *

Getting dragged into a date with the oddball couple is something Kenma never would have thought of having to face in his life, yet there he is, sitting across from the awkwardly and uncharacteristically silent couple, who seem to bury their faces in the menus at the same exact time much to Kenma's own amusement. Still, being the third wheel on a date no less isn't exactly something Kenma would have wanted to do on a nice afternoon—an afternoon he would have devoted to finishing the third dungeon without losing any lives, but Shouyou's pleas are hard to ignore when he basically plops on Kenma and practically screams in his ear to help him out. He isn't even sure if he can call this a date, especially considering Shouyou seems to be wearing his usual attire: a basic white tee and his (probably sweaty from the way he always runs with it) black jacket complete with matching black pants. Meanwhile, his pouty friend is a fashion disaster with a stuffy grey jacket, sunglasses, and a cap that has "Hollywood" spread across the front. The sunglasses seem really unnecessary, especially since the sun is covered by clouds right now, but Kenma has to admit that it makes the other setter look a little more cool than usual.

Shouyou fidgets with his menu and stares intently at nothing really, opening his wavering mouth. "Um, so, To… K-Kageyama… What are you having today…?" The question seems more like a statement directed to the ground rather than the black-haired boy. "I… I think I'll get tamago gohan."

"Ah… Your favorite?" The black-haired setter is talking as if he is speaking to a ghost. "I'll get pork curry…"

"…with an egg on top?" Shouyou finishes naturally, as if it just comes to him. The ends of the other boy's mouth slightly curls up, happiness evident in his dark eyes, and slams the menu down as if to say "yes, exactly."

The atmosphere suddenly feels a little less uneasy, making Kenma sigh out in relief. "You both like eggs," he mumbles nonchalantly, sifting through the menu and finding nothing that interests him.

The two respond with simultaneous nods, the waiter finally arriving and getting everyone's orders (Kenma just opts for a cup of water since he doesn't see anything sweet on the menu).

After the waiter leaves, Kenma immediately notices how the atmosphere suddenly becomes uncomfortable again, watching as Shouyou has become rather fidgety. He twiddles his thumbs together nervously, his eyes darting back and forth between the ceiling, the floor, and the boy beside him. The black-haired boy is calmer than he initially was, yet he still doesn't speak as he normally would, instead being too preoccupied and interested with a speck of dirt on the table.

Shouyou then starts settling his gaze on the setter. His eyes are uncharacteristically calm and calculating, as if he is patiently waiting for the right moment for something, searching the other boy's face as if analyzing every minuscule feature there. Then, in one swift motion, Kenma sees Shouyou lick his lips and lean forward the other boy's direction, planting his puckered lips on his cheeks. Said cheeks turn from tan to bright pink in an instantaneous moment; and even though he is trembling, he doesn't shove Shouyou or even bothers to respond. He continues to stay still, and Shouyou continues to press his slightly wet lips on his crush's more than likely warm cheeks.

Kenma feels as if he should look away, a guilty feeling emerging inside of him that's telling him he's invading a sort of private moment between a blossoming love. Yet, he finds it personally difficult to tear his eyes away. Never a romantic himself, Kenma always feels a physical sickness watching public displays of affection. Yet, this awkward peck, coming from two people he personally respects, is a sight to behold. It's sweet and simple, just like the oddball couple themselves, and displays their closeness despite having just met a little over a year ago. In a way, Kenma feels a bit of jealousy in how two people can be so close in such a short amount of time, but the moment is so endearing that Kenma pushes away the thoughts and just stares in awe.

When Shouyou finally pulls away from his friend's cheeks, the black-haired boy places the palm of his hand on the very spot the orange-haired boy had kissed him, his lips wavering in an amalgam of emotions ranging between embarrassment, jubilee, and relief. "What was that for, idiot?"

"I like you, Kageyama..." Shouyou says slowly under his breath.

"Huh? Say it louder. I can't hear you." Kenma isn't really sure whether or not the black-haired boy is lying.

Shouyou puffs up his cheeks in contempt. "I said I like you, you jerk!"

"Same goes for you, loser."

"What! You say it too!"

"I frickin' like you too, okay?" And, in the heat of the moment, he stumbles forward and mirrors Shouyou's small cheek kiss, retracting all too quickly before Shouyou can give a proper reaction.

"That was weak!" Shouyou says in a miffed tone. "Kiss me again! One more time!"

And the black-haired boy pecks his crush's cheek again, and then Shouyou returns the peck, and the tennis match of kisses continues, their cheeks burning hotter and hotter with each kiss planted on them.

All the while, Kenma slips out of his chair, wrapping his lips around the straw to sip some more ice cold water. He thinks, sometimes, people unnecessarily complicate things. Answers to a problem are always a lot simpler than people would like to think. Though, maybe as long as the end result is satisfactory, then whether one chooses the difficult, windy road or the simple, straight path doesn't matter. People will always get to their destination eventually if they just keep trudging on. Well, at least that's what he thinks. He usually doesn't like to think of deep things, but the oddball couple always has a way of provoking even the most unmotivated people to be motivated. It's wonderful, really.

He takes in another sip of water and checks his phone, smiling at Shouyou's text ("thanks for the advice, cupid!"), putting in his earbuds and once again humming along to the music of the final boss he beat just yesterday.

**.**

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**Haven't used this website in a while, but hopefully the formatting is alright.**


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